Paterson patient 'trusted medics would help her'

Sylvia Atterbury was diagnosed with breast cancer while caring for her terminally ill husband

The family of a former patient of jailed surgeon Ian Paterson say she believed what professionals told her and trusted that they would help her.

Sylvia Atterbury from Birmingham was caring for her terminally ill husband when she was diagnosed with breast cancer, but her family said she "put on a brave face and fought hard".

She died aged 67 in 2014 and is now one of 65 women whose deaths are being investigated at an inquest to determine if they died an unnatural death as a result of Ian Paterson's care and treatment.

Paterson was convicted of wounding patients with botched and unnecessary operations in 2017 and sentenced to 20 years in prison.

He had worked at the then Heart of England NHS Trust, which covered Birmingham and Solihull, and also at Spire Little Aston.

Much of the scrutiny on Paterson's actions is due to whether he performed so-called cleavage-sparing mastectomies.

His trial heard the technique involved leaving some breast tissue behind, preserving patients' cleavages, but could cause a risk of the cancer returning.

Giving evidence in Mrs Atterbury's inquest on Monday, Paterson denied leaving any breast tissue behind during her mastectomy, claiming that only two doctors "ever mention [her having] it" - one of whom being oncologist Dr Andrew Stockdale.

Paterson referenced several medical notes that formed part of the inquest's evidence, saying: "If it doesn't say they're concerned about residual tissue in the chest wall, there was none."

Ian Paterson was jailed in 2017 for wounding patients with botched and unnecessary surgeries

'She had a big heart'

Mrs Atterbury was a retired shop manager who died at her home in Birmingham on 17 May 2014.

A tribute was read out at the inquest on behalf of her family on Monday.

They said she was "a fiercely proud woman who put her family at the heart of everything she did", "a devoted wife" and "a loving mother to her three children".

Her family added: "Our mother had a big heart. She was a caregiver. In her early 20s she fostered many children and named her eldest daughter, Sally, after a baby she had cared for.

"In her 40s she cared for elderly people whilst their families took respite. She put others' needs above her own."

Mrs Atterbury cared for her husband, Michael Atterbury, when he was diagnosed with testicular cancer in his 20s, kidney cancer in his 40s, and bone cancer in his late 50s.

Her family said "it hit the family hard" when she was diagnosed with breast cancer while caring for her terminally ill husband.

"However, our mother remained positive, put on a brave face and fought hard."

Michael Atterbury died the night before his wife's birthday.

"Our mother was vulnerable following the death of her husband. She believed what professionals told her," her family said.

"The impact of her cancer diagnosis and death has been profound.

"We lost a loving mother, a best friend and a beautiful soul."

The inquest at Birmingham and Solihull Coroner's Court continues.